SEOUL, South Korea - South Korea says rival North Korea has fired what appears to be two mid-range ballistic missiles just hours after Pyongyang rivals South Korea, Japan and the United States met in the Netherlands to discuss the country.
A South Korean military official says the likely Rodong missiles flew about 403 miles off North Korea's east coast early Wednesday. It wasn't immediately clear where the missiles splashed down.
Such a launch would be a big step up from a series of shorter-range rocket launches the North has staged in recent weeks in apparent protest of ongoing annual military drills by Washington and Seoul that the North claims are invasion preparation.
North Korean ballistic missile launches are banned by the United Nations.
The South Korean official spoke on condition of anonymity because of office rules.